


It Always Comes as a Surprise

by Two_Divided_by_Zero



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fluff, M/M, leokumi week 2k16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 10:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6799474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Two_Divided_by_Zero/pseuds/Two_Divided_by_Zero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Think of it as a trust exercise.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“‘A trust exercise?’”  A pale eyebrow arched in disbelief.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Or as a cultural immersion; whichever you’d prefer.” </i>
</p>
<p>Or Leo convinces Takumi to try Nohrian desserts.  It isn't nearly as cliché as Takumi was expecting.  (Or is it?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Always Comes as a Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my entry for the day 2 theme of 'foreign.'
> 
> To be honest, I'm not entirely thrilled with how this turned out, but hopefully that's just me being overly hard on myself.
> 
> Also, I would love to thank everyone who left comments and kudos on my previous works. I would love to respond to each and every one of you, but it would probably devolve into some caps lock, grammatical error ridden mess (and eventually just nonsense like dka;jsdalsdhfsuyeriuoaeyroiwer!!!!!) Your support is so appreciated!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Think of it as a trust exercise.”

“‘A trust exercise?’” A pale eyebrow arched in disbelief.

“Or as a cultural immersion; whichever you’d prefer.”

The two younger princes had been enjoying breakfast and chatting peaceably when Leo suddenly suggested his little _idea_. Suffice to say Takumi was not receptive, immediately recognizing the glint of mischievousness in Leo’s eyes. The last time he spotted that odd little gleam, Leo had mentioned the catacombs beneath castle Krakenburg and had insisted upon exploring them to try and unearth lost Nohrian history. The day ended with Takumi locked in an old prison cell that had been used to contain prisoners guilty of treason in the past who were destined for execution.

They laughed about it now (Leo perhaps a little harder), but it did not make him any more trustworthy. “Broth-”

“ _Takumi_ , as a crown prince of Hoshido, you are more than capable of making your own decisions independent of my judgement.” Ryoma took a sip of tea before resuming his discussion with Xander, paying no mind to the wounded expression on his younger brothers face. 

Corrin snickered from her seat at the table, waving delicately at his look of betrayal. ‘Have fun, little brother!’ that wave seemed to say with every wiggle of her fingers.

That was how Takumi later found himself seated at a countertop with Leo, various Nohrian desserts surrounding them. Apparently, they were the result of some recent holiday celebrating the prosperous year of peace. It sounded frivolous and silly to Takumi, but who was he to critique another culture?

Sakura, _that traitor_ , had apparently informed Leo of his sweet tooth. She probably had nothing but good intentions; it didn’t make the betrayal sting any less.

Leo looked for all the world to be full of the innocent happiness only possible when spending time with his closest friend. (Camilla really was an excellent teacher in the art of deception.)

Leo beckoned for Takumi to close his eyes, which was met with a look of equal parts indignation and disbelief. Choosing to ignore the pink now highlighting the Hoshidan prince’s cheeks, he sighed out, “indulge me, please?”

(If he thought the blush was obvious before, it positively flared now. While Takumi blustered and fidgeted, Leo couldn’t help but notice how even his neck was turning red now. It was a wonderfully attractive look, not that Leo could ever admit that.)

After much more huffing (and flushing, _dear gods_ what Leo wouldn’t do to find out exactly where that color ended on his body) on Takumi’s part, he eventually acquiesced with a sigh. “Fine then, do as you wish.”

With his eyes now closed, it was even harder to ignore the opportunity for some teasing; Leo always made it a point to never ignore low-hanging fruit. “That was an awfully quick surrender, your highness. No wonder you always struck me during the war as a terrible general.”

And _oh_ how red his cheeks burned then with righteous indignation (though Leo was pleased to see his eyes remained shut). “Better than being a coward who sits on his horse in the rear, flipping through books. ‘Oh no, a papercut! Quick, send my sister with the strongest staff we have, lest I bleed to death. Hurry, lest your prince meet his glorious end on this battlefield!’”

“...Was that honestly the best you could come up with?”

“I felt it was actually fairly spot-on-”

Before Takumi could run his mouth any further, Leo took the opportunity to stick a fluffy white confection into it. 

He choked a little - ‘Serves him right! - before chewing contemplatively. There was no disgust in his expression, which Leo took to be a good sign.

“It’s called a ‘meringue’ and it’s a candy recipe originating from the rural center of Nohr. Do you like it?”

Still chewing, Takumi nodded before swallowing. “It was crunchy, but fluffy. How is that even possible?”

“Magic.”

“I’m sure,” Takumi intoned dryly before popping another into his mouth. 

(Leo chalked this up as a tiny victory.)

“You know, Elise tried making meringues once....”

An eyebrow rose, clearly a wordless plea for clarification. Leo snickered before poking one of the other candies still on the pan, frowning when the peak caved in on itself; their fragility always bothered him. 

“Meringues are essentially fluffed egg whites and sugar beaten to incorporate air and then baked.” He paused to smile at the look of simple bliss on Takumi’s face. Apparently, he had been caught staring far too long because that look soon shifted to a look of annoyance. “Ah, well the key to fluffy meringues is to completely separate the yolk from the white to minimize the amounts of fat in the whites. There’s a technique I’ve seen bakers use where they crack the shell in half, then shift the yolk from side to side to remove the white.”

Takumi gave a soft hum to show he was still listening even though _Leo had yet to explain exactly what happened to Elise_.

“I’m getting to it.” Of course, Leo knew all too well what Takumi had been thinking, taking his slightly miffed expression as confirmation enough. “In any case, Elise got her hands on some eggs and decided to try making a meringue for a pie topping. The bakers acquiesced, mainly because she’s a princess, but also because she’s Elise. In any case, the first thing she did was smack the whole egg into the side of the bowl. Have you ever seen a whole egg explode, Prince Takumi?”

Takumi snorted, not feeling the slightest bit bad for laughing at an innocent mistake by a little girl. “Not, I can’t say I have.”

“I have,” Leo intoned flatly, as though he were some world-weary traveller who had lived through countless wars. “That egg must have been ensorcelled for how much...substance...was contained in that tiny shell. I can still see her face; she was shell-shocked until this runny glob of egg dribbled from her hair straight onto her nose. _Then_ she began bawling.”

“Leo! You’re a terrible brother!” So Takumi said while trying (unsuccessfully) to muffle his own laughter. 

“I told her not to cry, or she might make the pie weep as well.” 

“...Make the pie…?”

“When you top a dessert with meringue, sometimes a layer of liquid forms between the two and it’s known as ‘weeping’ - nevermind, actually. Clearly my sparkling sense of humor is wasted on you.”

No hesitation. “Clearly.”

(Leo was honestly disappointed that didn’t get more of a rise from his companion.)

“We actually have a similar dessert in Hoshido. It’s a form of custard that is set with starches from grains. If left out too long, it developes a skin that can crack and fill with liquid. I read that this phenomenon, similar to ‘weeping,’ is known as ‘syneresis.’”

“...Where did that come from?”

“I used to enjoy baking with my mother!” Takumi snapped and Leo raised his hands in a hopefully placating manner.

“I see, please accept my apologies. In any case....”

The two continued sampling various Nohrian desserts interspersed with discussions of the difference between them and Hoshidan sweets (“Beans do _not_ belong in confections.” “How do you know that without having tried it?! Quit being so close-minded!”).

From treacle tarts to trifles to a fried dough dusted with sugar, Leo could see Takumi become increasingly more agitated every time he was told to close his eyes. (Which honestly piqued his curiosity.) 

Once more, Takumi was instructed to close his eyes. This time, Leo reached for a box of colorful chocolates originating from somewhere near the Hoshidan border, as evidenced by the distinctly foreign patterns and whorls decorating the candies.

This time was different; Leo heard a huff of exasperation and looked up to see Takumi peeking one eye open at him. ‘Gods, I didn’t even know it was possible to glare with one eye.’

“Prince Takumi-”

“ _No_ , I’ve had enough of this!” Takumi _seethed_ and all the blood rushing to his face once more turned it a lovely red. “ _Gods damn you_ , you insufferable man - _here_!” 

Leo was struck mute as, in a pique of rage, Takumi grabbed truffle. The delicate chocolate shell crumbled and Leo opened his mouth to chide Takumi for being careless when the candy was unceremoniously stuck into his mouth. 

_Really_ , it was astounding how seamless the transition was from Takumi’s fingers against his mouth to his lips. As with all things, he was overeager and a smidgen too forceful and _damn if it didn’t completely take Leo’s breath away_. He was so clearly inexperienced, using far too much tongue and not enough pressure it was _infuriating_ -! 

Leo snaked a hand to the back of Takumi’s head, weaving his fingers in as he began to reciprocate in earnest. The moment his tongue peaked out to touch the other prince’s, Takumi _melted_ into him in a boneless heap. From dominant to submissive, all the fight instantly left Takumi pliant in his lap. The kiss softened into something delicate and sweet that left the Hoshidan prince squirming into the other’s lap. It was completely endearing how Takumi could go from fiery indignation to docile affection in the blink of an eye like this. 

When the kiss ended (as all good things are apt to do), Takumi opened his eyes and looked blearily up with an expression that could only be described as ‘starstruck.’ Tiny tremors racked his body as his gaze slowly drifted down to Leo’s mouth. The trembling only go worse as Takumi reflexively licked his own lips, no doubt taking note of how they were the slightest bit puffier from the kiss. 

(The kiss that _he_ initiated. Leo normally prided himself for being the first to accomplish anything, but this was an honor he would gladly cede to Takumi.) 

“Th-” he choked on his words and turned positively cerise with shame, “th-that was how it was supposed to go...” 

Then, as an afterthought, “idiot.” 

When a response wasn’t immediately forthcoming, Takumi began to awkwardly shift back off Leo’s lap. _That_ snapped the Nohrian prince out of whatever fog he was in. 

Takumi quite literally _took his breath away_. He wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. 

Before Takumi could squirm away, Leo grabbed his collar (which had always seemed superfluous up until this very moment) and _pulled_. He earned an indignant squawk in return, causing him to laugh. 

‘Oops.’ Takumi’s expression turned even stormier at this blunder and Leo quickly placed his free hand on the other’s face. 

“I-” he chuckled again, receiving an even darker glare from Takumi, “Sorry, I don’t think I quite followed. Would you mind showing me again?” 

It was beautiful watching Takumi’s face shift from embarrassment and indignation to shock to apprehension. 

“...I-” he shook his head a little, no doubt frustrated at stuttering, “I’m sure you ‘followed’ just fine, _Prince Leo_.” 

“Hmm, I'm afraid not. Please?” 

(Leo was willing to wager that Takumi was blushing even under that ridiculous collar once his meaning set it.) 

“O-oh….” He ducked his head to the side shyly before peeping up at Leo through his bangs with a flushed face. “W-well, you always _have been a little slower than the rumors made you out to be…”_

‘Cheeky little…’ It was hard to be mad though when Takumi smiled so softly before bringing their lips together in another soft kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to base the desserts Leo mentioned more as European/British (isn't that what Nohr is based on...?), but ehh. 
> 
> Hopefully all you readers enjoyed! As always, comments and kudos are adored and appreciated more than you could imagine!
> 
> Thank you again and please look forward to my fic for tomorrow! (-b^_^)-b


End file.
